


Magic Kingdom

by littlewitch34



Series: Remember the Magic [1]
Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: A very self indulgent fic where spaghetti legs and angry lawyer go to Disney World, Disney World & Disneyland, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-29
Updated: 2018-04-29
Packaged: 2019-04-29 22:13:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,645
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14482305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlewitch34/pseuds/littlewitch34
Summary: Sonny and Rafael's vacation to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida begins with a trip to the Magic Kingdom.





	Magic Kingdom

“You need ears,” Sonny notes.

Rafael rolls his eyes. “I have ears. Two of them, in fact.”

“No, Mickey ears.” Sonny beams. “You gotta blend in!”

“Have you seen my clothes? Even the non-work ones,” Rafael replies. “I’m built to stand out. Like a majestic peacock.”

“And you do. Just like a majestic peacock,” Sonny says. “But get a pair of Mickey ears and get in the spirit.”

Rafael sighs. “Fine. Get me a pair that don’t look too ridiculous.”

Sonny grins from ear to ear. “Ok,” he replies, and disappears into the Main Street Emporium. 

Rafael waits outside on a bench and people-watches. He silently cheers that he and Sonny are here alone and haven’t brought any of Sonny’s nieces, nephews, or otherwise related children. Watching the parents trying to wrangle kids, kids on leashes, strollers, diaper bags, sullen teens, and a Starbucks cup makes Rafael’s heartbeat pick up in terror.

Rafael can’t help but smile, though, when a uniformed Disney security officer stops a tiny girl dressed in a Cinderella gown and sparkling Converse sneakers.

“Oh, princess!” The security guard exclaims. “It is a pleasure to meet you! May I have your autograph?”

“Me?” The girl asks.

“Of course!” The guard replies. “I’d recognize you anywhere, your majesty. You’re Cinderella!” The guard pulls an autograph book and pen out of his pocket and the girl dutifully scrawls ‘CINDRLA’ in it, her tongue poking out as she focuses on getting each shakily letter perfect.

“Ok,” Rafael admits to himself. “This place does make dreams come true.”

A pair of Beast-themed Mickey ears are thrust in Rafael’s face.

“This place also makes nightmares come true,” he thinks, staring at the ears in Sonny’s hand.

“You promised,” Sonny says firmly. “Embrace this.”

“Fine. Yes.” Rafael grumbles, ploppping the ears onto his head.

“And a selfie for Liv and Amanda,” Sonny adds.

“Son of a—“

“Bee sting!” Sonny supplies quickly. “Honestly, Raf. We’re in the Magic Kingdom.”

Rafael grumbles again, but he agrees. The last thing he wants a mother going home thinking that ‘the gays’ taught her kids to swear at Disney World.

“Where to now?” Rafael asks.

“Well… I was thinking we could check out the Haunted Mansion… oh but that's better at night… or the Jungle Cruise! How about that?” Sonny asks.

“I thought the animals were at the park we’re seeing tomorrow?” Rafael asks.

“These are fake animals.” Sonny stares at Rafael. “They’re animatronics and they move and stuff.” He sighs. “It’s funny. Just trust me.”

“I do,” Rafael says with a fond smile. It’s one of the easiest statements he’s ever made.

“To Adventureland!” Sonny exclaims, pulling Rafael off toward the ‘bridge’ to Adventureland.

Rafael lets Sonny pull him along, past shops and a stand proclaiming something about Dole Whips, whatever those were, and past the flying carpets from the Aladdin movie.

“Jungle Cruise,” Sonny says brightly.

Rafael hates every second of the Jungle Cruise ride. Not only are all the animals fakes, robots that move, blink, and stare at him, but the entire script of the ride that the Cast Member is reciting is made of terrible puns.

“No wonder Sonny is in his glory,” Rafael thinks.

After the Jungle Cruise, Sonny nudges Rafael. “Snack?”

“Please,” Rafael says. 

“Dole Whips.” Sonny starts to pull Rafael off toward the stand they’d passed by previously.

“What?”

“Another trust me thing,” Sonny declares.

“And I do,” Rafael says, smiling a little. “I do trust you.”

They arrive at the stand and Sonny points to a rock wall nearby. “Sit there. I’ll bring it over.”

The ‘it’ in question is a bright yellow swirl of soft-serve in a cup. “Lemon?” Rafael wonders aloud.

“Nope. Pineapple.” Sonny beams. 

Rafael eats a bite and he has to admit that Sonny has a real point. The pineapple soft serve is delicious and reminds him of pineapple sodas and rings of pineapple from when he was a child.

“Well?” Sonny asks.

“This is incredible,” Rafael admits. “Good pick.”

“They’re famous and the only place you can get one besides here is Hawaii,” Sonny explains. “They’re probably the best snack here.”

“I think we’re going to have to get another before we leave later,” Rafael decides.

In his brain, Sonny whoops. 

“So. What are we doing next?” Rafael asks curiously. “You said not Haunted Mansion, not until after dark. I won’t set foot in that Hall of Presidents so that’s out.”

“What about Small W—“ Off a look, Sonny nods. “Ok. Not that. The railroad?”

“It’s not a kiddie—“

“Full size, steam engines, really nice and relaxing ride…” Sonny grins at Rafael. “Acceptable?”

“Completely.”

Sonny pulls Rafael along to board the Lilly Belle engine by Splash Mountain, and once they’re aboard, the train starts to chug along. Rafael leans into Sonny’s side comfortably, watching the trees go by as the narrator describes the lands they’re traveling by. 

“This is nice,” Rafael admits quietly. “Relaxing.”

“I told you,” Sonny replies, hugging Rafael against him. “Relaxing and it takes you all around so we can just get off where we please or keep riding.”

“Don’t let me sleep,” Rafael says with a laugh. “I probably could. All this sun and heat.”

“Don’t sleep,” Sonny says. “Or you’re going to wake up in a princess dress.”

“You think that would be the first time?” Rafael asks, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

“... ok, fair enough.” Sonny snickers softly. “But don’t sleep.”

“Won’t,” Rafael promises. “I’m listening to the story. We’re going around Disney World. There’s lands. We’re traveling by them now…”

“At least you’re paying attention,” Sonny cracks. “Enough.”

When they arrive at the closest “station” to Tomorrowland, Sonny takes them right to a moving ramp and they ride it up like an escalator. 

“Now where are you taking me?” Rafael asks. He’s already forgotten about the Beast ears on his head, posing gleefully as Sonny takes a selfie of them on their way up the ramp.

“Tomorrowland Transit Authority. The Peoplemover.” Sonny grins, pointing above their heads to where blue and white vehicles were zipping around an elevated track.

“Was that English?” Rafael quips.

“We’re in Tomorrowland,” Sonny adds. 

“Couldn’t tell,” Rafael snarks playfully, looking around at all the metallic decor. “It feels like… what people in the 1950s thought the future would be.”

“I think that’s kind of the aesthetic,” Sonny explains, grinning. 

They board the little white and blue cars, sitting together on one side of the vehicle, and it glides away on the track. 

“So this ride takes you through all of Tomorrowland and in and out of the other rides so that you can see what they’re like.” Sonny gestures around. “Over there’s Space Mountain and then there’s the Buzz Lightyear one. It’s a game.”

“That sounds fun,” Rafael says casually. He’s incredibly competitive.

“I know where the secret targets are,” Sonny fires back, eyeing Rafael, knowing exactly what Rafael is thinking.

“We’ll see about that.” Rafael wraps his arm around Sonny’s shoulders. “What are our other plans today?”

“Fireworks,” Sonny says quickly. “We have to stay for the fireworks. They’re magical.”

“What?” Rafael asks. “Isn’t everything here supposed to be magical? Isn’t that the brand?”

“Yeah, but there’s something special about the fireworks,” Sonny insists. 

Rafael thinks that the 4th of July fireworks back home are pretty magical too, but doesn’t say it out loud. If Sonny wants magical Disney fireworks, they’ll watch magical Disney fireworks.

After their ‘tour’ of Tomorrowland, Sonny takes Rafael on the Buzz Lightyear ride (Sonny wins), Pirates of the Caribbean (Rafael gets splashed with what he refers to as ‘disease water’), and Dumbo (Rafael argues, but even he can’t resist one of the most classic Disney things to do). 

Once night falls, they ride the Haunted Mansion and Rafael completely understands why Sonny thinks the ride is best after dark, given the vibe coming off the foreboding mansion house in Liberty Square.

“Oh my God, it’s the best not actually scary haunted thing in the world,” Sonny proclaims, as they exit the ride. “But that Grim Grinning Ghost song is going to be stuck in my head for a while.”

“You can replace it with the fireworks music. There is music, right? Disney can’t have a silent show,” Rafael guesses.

“Oh, of course not. There’s great music!” Sonny says excitedly. “We should go find a good spot to watch them from.”

Sonny’s fireworks spot is all the way back down Main Street, USA, but Rafael finds he doesn’t mind the trek back; holding Sonny’s hand as they dart past Casey’s Corner and the Emporium just feels right. There’s too much noise, too many people, and too many crying kids, but Rafael tunes it all out, focusing on the feel of Sonny’s hand in his as they climb the steps to the seats at the top of the Main Street railroad station. 

“Perfect. We get to see the whole thing like it’s meant to be seen,” Sonny explains. “With the castle and all.”

Rafael leans into Sonny as an announcement about dimming the lights plays over the speakers throughout the Magic Kingdom. “Time to start?”

“Time to start,” Sonny confirms.

The music begins and Rafael watches as the colors explode in the sky behind Cinderella Castle. The fireworks are beautiful and Sonny’s face watching them is just as beautiful; Rafael spends about as long watching Sonny’s face as he does watching he actual fireworks. 

As the music swells with the finale of the Happily Ever After fireworks, Rafael nudges Sonny. “Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“I love you,” Rafael murmurs. It’s not the first time he’s said it, not even close, but something about the fireworks, the view of the castle, the whole thing, just feels right.

“Love you too, Raf.” Sonny brushes his lips to Rafael’s temple. 

Rafael watches the end of the fireworks and thinks to himself, “This place really does make dreams come true.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you liked hearing about Barisi at Disney World then you should read The Most Magical Place on Earth by Robin Hood!


End file.
